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EU Telecom Policy Needs Help
by Winter Casey
The European Union needs to strengthen its regulatory framework for spectrum management and member states need to more consistently regulate the telecommunications market then they have in the past, according to analysis released on March 29 from the European Commission.
"Efficient spectrum management is a critical factor for the success of the EU market," according to the commission's final 2006 report on the EU's telecom markets. The commission said it plans to release proposals on these issue in mid-2007.
"The full range of tools for ensuring a consistent regulation across the single market is not currently available, and the commission will examine institutional, numbering and spectrum issues in particular in its proposals for a revised framework," the report found.
According to the research, broadband transmission speeds vary across the European Union and are on average slower then the United States, Japan and South Korea. The report found signs of an increase in the use of third generation cellular technology.
The report noted that electronic communications accounts for about 44.5 percent of the information communications and telecommunications sector in Europe.
According to an EU summary document, "cross-border competition, economic growth and consumer benefit could be enhanced substantially if the EU moved from 27 different national systems to a more consistent regulatory approach throughout Europe."
The summary points to incomplete deployment of the 112 emergency numbers which has to do with countries that have failed to provide caller-location information to emergency authorities.
A number of factors have hampered competition in the telecom market, the summary states. For example, in some EU member countries such as Poland and Slovakia, their remains a lack of truly independent national regulators while other countries-- such as Italy, Portugal, Greece and Germany -- delay imposing remedies to competition problems. Another setback to competition is that some countries look to solve similar competition problems with very different solutions, the summary holds.
The European Commission released its annual report on the digital economy on Friday. The research found Italy leads in the rollout of third generation mobile phone and fiber development. According to the report, British and Swedish workforces are the most skilled in information and communication technologies and the Dutch are the biggest consumers of online games and music.
Meanwhile, the German government announced Friday that it will amend its immigration law to make it easier for researchers from non-EU countries to live and work in Germany.
Also in Europe, the France-Switzerland Chamber of Commerce is planning an intellectual property seminar in Geneva, Switzerland on April 10. Roland Grossenbacher, director of the Federal Institute for Intellectual Property and president of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organization, will be speaking on IP and trade policy.
EU Moves To Regulate RFID This Year
The European Commission plans to propose amendments to an electronic privacy law that would take into account radio frequency identification applications, the body announced in mid-March. Despite news reports around this time that Europe would attempt to avoid or delay RFID regulation, some facts appear to suggest otherwise.
"By mid 2007, propose amendments to the e-privacy directive to take account of RFID applications, as part of the EU Telecom Rules' review," said a March 15 communication from the commission. A report on steps toward creating an RFID policy framework was also released by the commission.
Daniel Caprio, the former chief privacy officer for the U.S. Department of Commerce, said that the March 15 memo shows a willingness to continue dialogue on the subject, form a stakeholder group and discuss the issue with a wide range of parties. But following the initial perception that European Commissioner for Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding was not arguing for regulation, what has become clear since is "a desire to regulate RFID by the end of 2007" and the hook to regulate the technology -- in terms of privacy and security -- comes in the form of the EU's e-privacy directive, said Caprio.
According to Caprio, regulation RFID at this time would be premature in both the United States and the European Union. The United States should continue to encourage a privacy dialogue with Europe as regulation "wouldn't serve our mutual interests" at this point. Industry leadership and the formation of privacy best practices should be encouraged at this time, said Caprio.
The European RFID market is estimated to grow by billions in the next decade, but there are privacy concerns over the technologies ability to track items through radio tags.
At an event Monday hosted by the law firm of McKenna Long & Aldridge in Washington, Gerald Santucci, head of the European Commission unit that oversees RFID issues, echoed Capro's statements. He warned that if privacy rights are not protected in the use of the technology, "Mrs. Reding will have no other option but to trigger legislation," News.com reported. Santucci called the expected guidelines "soft law" on privacy and security issues and said he fears that if the commission rushed to make restrictions on the technology, industries would fail to benefit from its possible applications in health care, business and transportation.
U.S. Signs Education Memo With Brazil
The United States and Brazil signed Friday a memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation in education. The countries plan to encourage closer relationships on the education front through schools, government and the private sector. The countries also plan to encourage "mutually beneficial educational activities."
Under the agreement, the countries plan to focus on educational technology, the application of information and communication technologies to education, and environmental education, among other priorities.
In other news, President Alan Garcia of Peru is scheduled to visit the White House on April 23 to discuss with President Bush issues of mutual importance. The leaders plan to address free trade, economic growth and job creation.
Meanwhile, President Bush said Friday that he has notified Congress that he plans to enter into a free trade agreement with Panama.
Chamber Encouraged By International Support For IP
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it was encouraged by international support for intellectual property education after an IP and innovation forum held in Beijing last week. Attending the forum were representatives from governments, the private sector and academia from the China, the European Union, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the United States.
The chamber said there is a growing global consensus that "governments can best stimulate innovation by supporting strong basic education, training a technology proficient workforce, funding basic scientific research and making that research available for commercialization by industry, and providing tax and related incentives for companies to invest in research and innovation."
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